Outdoor Column: Do Solunar Tables give hunters and anglers an edge?

Solunar tables suggest there are certain days of each month when fish and game animals are more active. However, hunters and fishermen, like Capt. Dave Stewart, know whenever you can go is a good time - especially in the morning or late afternoon.

Ed Wall/Special to the Sun Journal

By Ed Wall, Special to the Sun Journal

Published: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 05:58 PM.

“The sun, moon and stars are there to guide us.” – Dennis Banks, Native American philosopher

As school kids, we learned that the moon makes a revolution around our planet every 27 days. In addition, we were taught that, because it is rotating as it makes that journey, the same side of the moon faces us at all times. Hopefully we weren’t playing hooky the day the teacher explained that, because we see the lighted and dark sides from different angles, the moon appears to change shape – or “phase” – slightly from day to day. It evolves from a new moon, when we catch only a glimpse of its outline, to a full moon, when we see it as a full, bright orb. Because the earth is also moving, the progression from one full moon to another takes 29 days.

The most noticeable effect the moon has on Earth is the tides. That twice-a-day bulge of the ocean pushes water through the inlets, floods shallow marshes and, when other conditions are right, brings fishermen flocking to the coast. Although anglers often disagree about which part of the tidal cycle is most productive, the consensus is that the fluctuations in the water trigger changes in the behavior of many inshore species.

Hunters say the same thing occurs in game animals like whitetail deer. Some are so convinced that lunar cycles affect deer behavior that they adjust their schedules so they can be in the woods during what are predicted to be peak times. Many of those hunters use solunar tables – so named because they are based on the influence of both the sun and the moon. The first and most famous of these were developed in the 1940s by the late John Alden Knight.

Knight’s theory was based on the observation that inland water bodies, as well as coastal waters, experience tidal changes. The fluctuation is not as dramatic but, according to Knight, the slight change in water pressure is sufficient to affect feeding activities. He kicked off the debate over the reality of solunar cycles with an article in “The Sportsman” magazine in 1935. The response from readers was overwhelming, many of them relating experiences that supported Knight’s observations.

The Solunar Theory was refined over the years to the point that today it is almost a science within itself. Many hunters, like outdoor writer Charles Alsheimer, maintain that the peak time for deer movement – and thus hunting – is from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on the days around the full moon. Alsheimer has done extensive research with Vermont biologist Wayne Laroche on northern whitetails. They agree that phases of the moon affect when deer breed and when they are most active as a result.

In one study, Alsheimer and Laroche noted that 70 percent of the whitetail does in a research facility entered their breeding cycle within a few days of a Hunters’ Moon (the second full moon following the fall equinox). Subsequent studies showed that does that did not breed during that first cycle would become receptive during later full moon periods and bucks would become more active accordingly. The latter have been known to extend their daily range during that time to cover as much as 3,000 acres, tending old scrapes and making new ones. With love on their minds, they are often more susceptible to tricks like grunt calls and scent lures.

“The sun, moon and stars are there to guide us.” – Dennis Banks, Native American philosopher

As school kids, we learned that the moon makes a revolution around our planet every 27 days. In addition, we were taught that, because it is rotating as it makes that journey, the same side of the moon faces us at all times. Hopefully we weren’t playing hooky the day the teacher explained that, because we see the lighted and dark sides from different angles, the moon appears to change shape – or “phase” – slightly from day to day. It evolves from a new moon, when we catch only a glimpse of its outline, to a full moon, when we see it as a full, bright orb. Because the earth is also moving, the progression from one full moon to another takes 29 days.

The most noticeable effect the moon has on Earth is the tides. That twice-a-day bulge of the ocean pushes water through the inlets, floods shallow marshes and, when other conditions are right, brings fishermen flocking to the coast. Although anglers often disagree about which part of the tidal cycle is most productive, the consensus is that the fluctuations in the water trigger changes in the behavior of many inshore species.

Hunters say the same thing occurs in game animals like whitetail deer. Some are so convinced that lunar cycles affect deer behavior that they adjust their schedules so they can be in the woods during what are predicted to be peak times. Many of those hunters use solunar tables – so named because they are based on the influence of both the sun and the moon. The first and most famous of these were developed in the 1940s by the late John Alden Knight.

Knight’s theory was based on the observation that inland water bodies, as well as coastal waters, experience tidal changes. The fluctuation is not as dramatic but, according to Knight, the slight change in water pressure is sufficient to affect feeding activities. He kicked off the debate over the reality of solunar cycles with an article in “The Sportsman” magazine in 1935. The response from readers was overwhelming, many of them relating experiences that supported Knight’s observations.

The Solunar Theory was refined over the years to the point that today it is almost a science within itself. Many hunters, like outdoor writer Charles Alsheimer, maintain that the peak time for deer movement – and thus hunting – is from mid-morning to mid-afternoon on the days around the full moon. Alsheimer has done extensive research with Vermont biologist Wayne Laroche on northern whitetails. They agree that phases of the moon affect when deer breed and when they are most active as a result.

In one study, Alsheimer and Laroche noted that 70 percent of the whitetail does in a research facility entered their breeding cycle within a few days of a Hunters’ Moon (the second full moon following the fall equinox). Subsequent studies showed that does that did not breed during that first cycle would become receptive during later full moon periods and bucks would become more active accordingly. The latter have been known to extend their daily range during that time to cover as much as 3,000 acres, tending old scrapes and making new ones. With love on their minds, they are often more susceptible to tricks like grunt calls and scent lures.

At least one researcher, Jim Jung, maintained that the surge in wildlife activity at various points in the lunar cycle can be attributed to the release of ions by the earth. His theory is that when the moon is “overhead,” (above the Earth-Sun revolutionary plane) its gravitational pull causes the earth’s surface to be deformed slightly. As a result, electrons are liberated from silicon-based rocks. Animals sense the existence of the charged particles and their kinetic energy increases.

John Alden Knight’s Solunar Tables were based on the findings of Jung and other researchers. Dr. Frank Brown of Northwestern University noted that oysters flown to his lab from the east coast continued to open their shells in rhythm with the high tides at their native waters. By the second week in captivity, however, they had adjusted their shell-openings to when the moon was directly “overhead” or “underfoot” in Chicago.

Knight’s calculations suggest that not only are there prime times each month for wildlife activity, there are peak months of the year. He found that June has more combined sun-moon influence than any other month. Every month has its peak day, though. The three or four days on either side of that date are classified as “good” or “best” for fishing and hunting. In October this year, that should be from around the 14th to the 21st.

Proponents of the Solunar Theory point out that it’s based on much more than the date of the full moon each month. According to the theory, there are “major” and “minor” periods each day of the year, during which a hunter’s or fisherman’s odds are improved. They note that other factors, such as weather, the availability of food and hunting pressure also have to be considered. Everything else being equal, though, they’re convinced the position of the moon and the sun can provide an edge and that sportsmen are smart to plan their outings around it.

Most knowledgeable sportsmen know that fish and animals seem to be most active in early morning and late afternoon. The best bet, then, would be to be in the field or on the water at those times on peak Solunar Table days. It doesn’t guarantee a limit every time out, but it will give you something to think about while you’re sitting there.